Aaron Judge Gives Ominous Response When Asked About Future With Yankees
Aaron Judge has done a fantastic job of showing loyalty to the New York Yankees while making clear that he's well aware of his worth, especially after completing one of the most productive seasons in Major League Baseball history.
The all-time great slugger perfectly depicted that dual reality in his last media scrum of the season. He was asked if his goal is to remain a Yankee as he hits free agency.
"I’ve been clear about that since I first wore the pinstripes," Judge told reporters, as shared by SNY on Twitter. "But we couldn’t get something done before spring training and now I'm a free agent and we’ll see what happens."
It's clear from both previous statements and some comments made in the same media scrum that Judge does want to remain in the Bronx. However, his comment on Tuesday, paired with a smirk, came off as, "you had your chance at exclusive negotiations, and now I'm going to get my worth this winter."
Judge did speak as if he were to remain a member of the Yankees moving forward when talking about how the team needs to get over the hump after multiple postseason failures, but he's not going to get lowballed.
The New York Post's Jon Heyman cited a potential four-team race for Judge, with the obvious possibility of other teams joining the bidding war.
Four Teams Reportedly Poised To Make Serious Run For Yankees' Aaron Judge
The right fielder was offered a seven-year deal worth $213.5 million back in spring training. That contract would have an annual average value (AAV) of $30.5 million.
Judge reportedly was seeking a deal in the range of an eight-year deal worth $288 million, meaning the two sides were one year and $74.5 million apart.
After a season in which Judge hit .311 (5th In MLB) with 90 extra-base hits (1st in MLB) including 62 home runs (1st in MLB), 131 RBIs (T-1st in MLB) and a 1.111 OPS (1st in MLB), he can increase his ask.
The 30-year-old also led the league in runs scored (133), walks (111), on-base percentage (.425), slugging percentage (.686), OPS+ (211) and total bases (391).
In other words, he's going to get paid this offseason, and the Yankees will have to live up to their status of being big spenders to keep their homegrown hero in town.
Heyman reached out to some agents and executives to give their best estimates on how much Judge will fetch, and the four results he posted averaged out to a total contract of $322 million with an undisclosed number of years.
More MLB: Yankees' Aaron Judge Hints At Which Team He Will Play For Next Season
